


If You Fall, I Will Catch You

by LeChatRouge673



Series: Friendship February 2018 [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: friendship february 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 10:24:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13762140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeChatRouge673/pseuds/LeChatRouge673





	If You Fall, I Will Catch You

_You're calling to me_   
_I can't hear what you've said_   
_Then you say, "Go slow"_   
_I fall behind_   
_The second hand unwinds_

-“Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper

 

* * *

 

_28 Cloudreach, 9:30 Dragon_

When he placed his hand on the handle to the front door of the Cousland home, Nathaniel paused. Even from the front porch, he could feel a heavy bass line vibrating through the walls. He tilted his head slightly to the side, picking up the rhythm and the low thunder of the music.

_Oh no_.

He gave a long, slow exhale, then opened the door. _Yep. DMX. That could just mean she’s cleaning, though…_

When the track switched to “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys, he knew he wasn’t that lucky. That meant it was her “angry” playlist. He shifted his bag over his shoulder and went into the kitchen, where Bryce Cousland was drinking a cup of coffee and paging through his newspaper. He offered Nathaniel a warm smile as he came into the room.

“Nate! It’s so good to see you,” he stood and embraced Nathaniel tightly, and Nathaniel returned the gesture. He had spent every holiday break since he had left for university with the Couslands and, really, Bryce was more of a father figure to him than Rendon ever had been. Of course, Nathaniel had not told any of them that this would be the last visit.

“So what’s got her in a mood?” He asked, sitting down beside Bryce at the counter. The other man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Well, there are a few things,” Bryce began carefully. “For one thing, she has been banned from going to her senior prom tonight and, while I don’t think she cared much one way or the other about the dance, it is _why_ she got banned that has her cranky.”

“Andraste’s blood,” Nate leaned back with a groan. “What did she do?”

Bryce gave him a small grin. “I’ll let her tell you. She does the hand gestures better anyways, and she’ll probably leave in all the swears I suspect she edited out for her aunt. But…” he paused, and his eyes dropped away from Nathaniel. “Honestly, I think she’s more angry about Cat bringing Alistair home this year.”

_Oh_.

“Cat is an adult, and she is free to date whomever she wishes,” Nathaniel replied carefully. “Alistair is… nice.”

“Yes, that’s what I keep telling myself, too,” Bryce rolled his eyes in a gesture that echoed Thea so perfectly he wondered who picked it up from whom. “And they’re staying in separate rooms, thank the Maker, or I think your Little Shadow may have had an aneurism. In any case, it won’t last.”

Nathaniel looked at him, surprised at the bluntness in the other man’s tone. “You don’t think?”

“No. He’s a nice boy, but he lacks the emotional maturity Cat needs. And besides, she’s in love with someone else. You could help things along, you know, if you would just-”

“I should go check on Thea,” Nathaniel interrupted, unwilling to go down the path Bryce was trying to prod him down. The playlist upstairs had switched to “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks, and he wanted to catch his best friend before she had a chance to get any more riled up. He went up the stairs and paused long enough to throw his bag in what had somehow become ‘his’ bedroom in the Cousland home, then went next door and carefully stepped into Thea’s room. She didn’t hear him enter, but when he switched off the music she spun around with a glare.

“Go away. I’m busy.”

“What, being pissed off? Come on, Thea, I haven’t seen you for three months.” Nathaniel held out his arms and, after a token pout, Thea stepped into them, hugging him tightly.

“Yes, being pissed off. It takes a lot of my energy and I’ve not penciled anything else in for today.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You want to talk about it, Teddy Girl?”

She sighed. “Yeah, probably. Hold up.” She dug around in her closet and retrieved a pair of flip flops, then grabbed Teddy from his place by her bedside and took Nathaniel by the arm, dragging him back downstairs and through the kitchen.

“We’re going for a walk, Uncle Bryce,” she called over her shoulder. “If your other daughter decides she’s done being an idiot and asks where I am tell her I hate her.”

“Ok, Little Shadow. Be careful,” Bryce gave Nathaniel a subtle grin as they stepped outside.

Thea didn’t say anything at first, instead just clinging tightly to both his arm and Teddy as they traced a familiar path from the house to the woods. It was the same path he had followed nine years earlier when he had first given her the stuffed bear that had shared so many of their adventures. When they reached their favorite tree, she swung up into the branches with surprising grace, never once dropping Teddy. He followed, settling into the same spot he always did. Thea studied him for a long moment, and then he saw the storm in her eyes fade away.

“I guess Uncle Bryce told you about me not going to the stupid dance.”

“Yeah,” Nathaniel nodded, “But he didn’t tell me why.”

Thea shrugged. “I beat up the captain of the track team.”

“Of course you did,” he sighed. “Why?”

Thea shrugged. “He seemed to be having difficulty understanding the word ‘no.’ You know little Merrill Sabrae? She was supposed to be tutoring him for elvhen language so he would have something other than ‘can run really fast,’ to put on his college applications. And apparently he was interested in more than just the lesson. I found them back behind the school and… intervened.”

“Ah. And how many broken bones resulted from your intervention?”

“Just one. Well, I mean, his nose is broken in two places, so not sure how you want to count that. And Principal Irving didn’t really want to punish me; he knew what happened, but he also couldn’t exactly let me off the hook either. One way or another, I’d punched a guy out. So he told me prom was off the table. Honestly,” Thea sighed, “I was lucky he didn’t expel me. He could have. The other guy _was_ expelled.”

Nathaniel reached out his hand and Thea took it with a small smile. “I’m proud of you though, Teddy Girl. You did the right thing.”

“Can the right thing also include punching out Alistair?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Thea let her head fall back against the branch, wincing slightly at the impact. “How are you so fucking calm about this? I’m just this side of growling every time he enters a room, and I’m not having my heart stomped on except on your behalf.”

“Because I want her to be happy, Thea,” Nathaniel replied quietly. “Because I know I’m too messed up to be the person she deserves. I need to figure my own shit out before I drag anyone else down that path.”

Thea shook her head. She opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, then closed it again. “I want both of you to be happy, Nate.”

“I know,” he squeezed her hand. “But maybe try being a little nicer to the guy? He’s really a good person. A little… young, but…”

“You sound like Uncle Bryce,” Thea grumbled. “I’m not making any promises. But you’re my best friend, Nate, and I love you, so… I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask, Teddy Girl.”

 

* * *

 

Thea stared into the mirror in her room.

Her Aunt Eleanor had insisted on her keeping her appointments for hair and nails, saying it would not hurt for her to dress up and treat herself for an evening, and it would be good to get her out of the house for awhile. Which, Thea knew, was code for ‘get her away from Cat and Alistair’ for awhile. She ran a hand down the long scratch running along her left jaw. It would probably scar; she hoped it would. It would be a reminder: there was always a price.

Thea knew she was probably being more dramatic than was strictly necessary, but after the day she’d had she felt as though a little drama was warranted. She was angry with Cat for brining home Alistair. She was angry with her aunt and uncle for letting it happen. She was angry with Alistair because he hadn’t really given her a proper reason to dislike him yet beyond dating her cousin. The only person she could not quite bring herself to be angry with was Nathaniel, and that was mostly because her heart was breaking for him.

She was fucking cranky.

She’d been looking forward to having Cat and Nathaniel home from university for spring holiday for weeks. Then, when Cat had announced that she was bringing her boyfriend with her, Thea had lost her shit. Bryce had waited until they were out walking the beach before he told her: nothing for her to break out there. He understood: had known for years that Cat and Nate were meant for each other. He’d just also been better about taking a hands-off approach to it. Thea lacked his patience.

There was a quiet knock on her door. When Thea didn’t say anything, it opened cautiously.

“Are you still mad at me?”

Thea sighed and shook her head, trying not to muss the elaborate braids that had been woven into her auburn hair. “No, Catkin. I’m not mad. I will… I will try to behave myself a bit better. If you like him, then…”

Cataline came and sat beside her on the vanity bench and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Just give him a chance, ok? He’s really a nice guy.” When Thea reflected a look of utter skepticism in the mirror, Cat sighed. “Yeah, probably not the best way to endear him to you. Here,” she reached for one of the brushes Thea had arranged on the table, “Let me help.”

“I don’t know why we’re doing this,” Thea muttered. “We’re just going out to dinner.”

“And _I_ know you secretly love getting dressed up every once in awhile,” Cat giggled. “Now hold still, or you’ll end up with eyeliner winged across your face.”

Despite herself, Thea smiled. She missed this time with her cousin; these moments where it was just the two of them, and they could laugh and talk and dream. Next year, when they were in university together, would be better. Their relationship, and their time together, was too valuable for her to waste too much of it being angry. She sat patiently as Cat worked, then admired the results in the mirror.

“Wow. I don’t know how you managed it Cat, but you made me look almost human.”

Her cousin swatted her playfully on the shoulder. “Oh shut up. You are beautiful.” She gave a small, wistful sigh. “I don’t even want to know how many hearts you’ve broken already.”

“None,” Thea piped up cheerfully. “They’re all fair terrified of me, which suits me fine.”

“And they know your best friend is never going to think anyone is good enough for you,” Nathaniel spoke up from the doorway, a small smile on his face that did not quite reach his eyes. He stepped in and pressed a kiss to Thea’s forehead. “You really are stunning, Thea. Any man or woman would be lucky to have you, but for tonight,” he offered her his arm and, after she stared at him a moment in utter confusion, he grinned, “I was hoping you would consider being my date for a dance.”

“You’ve gone quite mad, haven’t you?” Thea laughed, but she accepted his arm. “Do I have to put on shoes?”

“Absolutely not,” he reassured her, and Cat’s laughter followed them down the stairs as he led her to the backyard.

They’d been busy in the time she had been at the salon, and when she’d been getting dressed and letting Cat do her makeup. There were fairy lights strung up around the trees, and a few tables and a makeshift dance floor had been set up on the lawn. Simple yet elegant bouquets of sunflowers, poppies, and wildflowers were set on the tables, and other blossoms were arranged around the dance floor. And, perhaps most amazing of all, was the presence of her closest friends, all of whom had shown up on the shortest of notice to apparently give her the dance she was missing out on.

“So,” Thea struggled to bite back a grin as Nathaniel walked her down to the floor and took her by the waist, “whose harebrained scheme was this?”

“Your cousin’s, although the set up was a group effort,” he smiled. He spun her around as her uncle switched on the stereo and music filtered through the warm spring night.

“You are all absolutely insane,” she laughed, leaning up and brushing a kiss against his cheek. “But I love you.”

“We love you too. And you shouldn’t miss out on dressing up and playing princess for an evening just because you came to the aid of a damsel in distress,” he teased her.

“You are the worst, Nathaniel Adrian Howe,” Thea informed him, but she was still smiling, and she knew it. “It is a pretty great dress, right?”

“Oh, absolutely,” he assured her. “Cat was right: you’re going to end up breaking someone’s heart someday.”

Thea snorted derisively. “Yeah, you find someone that can keep up with me and my smart mouth first, would you darling?”

Nathaniel laughed quietly. “Fair point. I’m not sure I even want to meet the man or woman you decide can handle you.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder. “Just be sure you’re there for when my heart gets broken too, ok? I’ll need someone to spot me when I kick their ass.”

Nathaniel was quiet for a moment, and Thea could not help but feel like there was something he wasn’t telling her, but he just hugged her tighter. “Of course, Teddy Girl.”

Over her shoulder, Thea could hear her Uncle Bryce speaking with unreasonable cheer. “Might I cut in, Alistair? I have so few opportunities for father daughter dances these days.”

“Of course!” Alistair replied, and Thea turned in time to see him step gamely aside with a friendly grin. He really was nice, she supposed… just not right for Cat. He never would be. Over his daughter’s head, Bryce caught Thea’s eye and gave an exaggerated wink, and she laughed. Thea took the opportunity to subtly direct Nathaniel in that direction.

“Uncle Bryce!” She paused and stamped her foot in mock indignation. “I believe _I_ am the guest of honor here. Shouldn’t that mean I get first dance with my favorite uncle?”

“Theadosia, you are absolutely correct,” Bryce adopted a look of contrition, then offered her his hand. “Nathaniel, would you be so good as to keep Cataline company until I can return? You know what a terror this one gets into when she doesn’t get her way.”

“I- sure, Bryce. Of course,” Nathaniel took Cat in his arms with a look of mild bemusement as Bryce and Thea spun away in the opposite direction. On the other side of the dance floor she saw her Aunt Eleanor speaking with Alistair and doing her best to look exasperated, but failing to keep an amused smile from her face.

“We might be the worst, Uncle Bryce,” Thea pointed out.

“Very possibly,” he agreed, “But if that boy doesn’t end up my son-in-law I’ll eat my hat. Besides,” he hugged her close, “We do it out of love.”

Thea smiled to herself.

“Absolutely.”

 


End file.
